Scaffold bracing



J1me 1956 J. A. KIRKPATRICK 2,752,206

SCAFFOLD BRACING Original Filed Feb. 16, 1949 INVENTOR -/0///v A. K/k/mer/vml'v BY M m mvflafii United States Patent SCAFFOLD BRACING John Allen Kirkpatrick, Zelienople, Pa., assignor to Universal Manufacturing Corporation, Zelienople, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application February 16, 1949, Serial No. 76,828, now Patent No. 2,620,237, dated December 2, 1952. Divided and this application October 28, 1952, Serial No.317,288

2 Claims. (Cl. 304-40) This invention relates to metal scaffolds, and more particularly to those that are assembled in any desired length and height from prefabricated end frames connected by removable braces. This application is a division of my copending application, Serial Number 76,828, filed February 16, 1949, now Patent No. 2,620,237 granted December 2, 1952.

The scaffold shown in Weisz Patent No. 2,435,171 is very satisfactory except where the workers on it are using mortar or cement. If they happen to drop some of that material, it is likely to strike the braces or brace-receiving sleeves on the outside of the scaffold legs next to the building where the scaffold is erected. In such a case the mortar or cement often splashes against the wall of the building from which it then must be cleaned.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a scaffold in which the removable braces are attached to the inside of the end frame legs, in which the braces are moved horizontally into and out of operative position, and in which the braces are held in operative position by locking members permanently connected to the end frames.

According to this invention, a pair of spaced parallel end frames are held upright by removable side braces to form a scaffold. Each end frame has a pair of legs which are rigidly connected together by suitable cross braces. Brackets project from the sides of the legs sub stantially in the plane of the end frame and have vertical walls provided with slots extending inward toward the adjoining legs. Each removable brace for connecting the end frames together has end portions of greater height than the bracket slots, so the end portions are provided with vertical notches for receiving the bracket side walls to permit those end portions to be inserted laterally in the slots. Preferably, each bracket has a pair of the slotted side walls, and each end portion of each brace has both upper and lower notches spaced apart a distance only slightly less than the height of the bracket slots. The brace may be held in the bracket by retractable locking means, such as a locking member which is pivotally mounted in the bracket to permit it to be swung away from the adjoining brace.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a section of my scaifold;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on the line Ill-11 of Fig. 1 to show the inner end of a bracket; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of the bracket taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, a pair of spaced parallel prefabricated end frames each has vertical tubular legs 1 rigidly connected at their upper ends by a horizontal brace 2 upon which wooden planking (not shown) may be placed to form a working platform. Crossed inclined braces 3 connect the horizontal brace to the lower portions of the legs. When the scaffold is assembled, the end frames are held upright by means of tubular side braces. Some of the braces 4 are inclined between the "ice legs of one end frame and the legs of the other end frame, while the other braces 5 extend horizontally between diagonally opposite legs of the scaffold. The diagonal braces, in addition to strengthening the scaffold, also keep the scaffold truly square.

In order to connect the ends of the braces to the legs, brackets 7 are welded to each leg near its top and bottom. The brackets on each leg extend inwardly toward the other leg of the same frame. Therefore, the brackets are on the inside of the legs and in the plane of the end frames. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each bracket has a vertical wall, preferably parallel side walls 8 generally spaced apart a distance about equal to the diameter of the adjoining leg, to which the ends of the walls are welded. These walls are connected at their top by a top plate 9. The side walls of the bracket are provided with parallel horizontal slots 11 extending from their front or outer ends inward toward the supporting leg. Each slot preferably has parallel upper and lower walls.

The braces 4 and 5 that fit in these brackets may be formed from lengths of pipe which have their end portions pinched together to fiattten them and decrease their thickness. The width or height of each flattened end portion is considerably greater than the height of the bracket slots. Therefore, the top and bottom of the end portion are provided with vertical notches 13. These extend perpendicularly to the axis of a horizontal brace, and diagonally relative to the axis of an inclined brace. Each notch has parallel side walls and is wide enough to receive a side wall of a bracket. The vertical distance between the inner ends of the notches is such that the portion of the brace connecting the notches is just narrow enough to permit it to be moved laterally into a bracket slot while the portions of the side wall above and below the slot extend through the upper and lower notches. The end portion of the brace between the side walls of the bracket is long enough to extend from the particular wall supporting the brace across the bracket and substantially into engagement with the opposite wall to help steady the brace in the bracket. The tips of the inclined braces are cut off diagonally so that they will be parallel to the adjacent walls of the brackets. The ends of the horizontal braces are cut off square for the same purpose.

In order to hold the braces in the brackets, a rivet, serving as a pivot pin 15, extends across the outer portion of each bracket and is rigidly mounted in the side walls 8 thereof below the horizontal slots 11. Rotatably mounted on this pin is a sleeve 16 from Which a vane 17 extends radially. The vane normally is held in substantially vertical position against the outer face of a notched brace 5 in the bracket by means of a counter-weight 18 connected to the bottom of the sleeve. By connecting the weight to the sleeve at a point between its vertical axial plane and the adjacent leg of the scaffold, the counterweight will swing the upper end of the vane in toward the next brace 4 if the outermost brace 5 is omitted. The braces can be removed from the bracket by merely pulling them out of the slots, which will cause them to swing the vane outward and downward against the resistance of the rising counterweight. Or, if desired, the vane can be swung by the fingers out to the broken line position shown in Fig. 3, so that the braces can be pulled out of the bracket. It will be seen that no vertical movement of the braces is required in order to insert them in the brackets or to remove them therefrom. Consequently, the upper brackets can be located close to end frame brace 2.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. The combination with a pair of spaced vertical legs, of bracing comprising brackets projecting from the sides of the legs, each bracket having a wall provided with an open end slot extending from the outer end of the bracket inward toward the leg and also extending laterally entirely through said wall, a removable brace for connecting the legs together and having end portions mounted in said slots, said end portions being of greater height than said slots and provided with vertical notches receiving the outer ends of said walls, whereby to permit said end portions to be inserted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brace into the open ends of the slots and moved inward toward the legs, a locking member supported by the outer end portion of each bracket and normally extending vertically across the outer face of a brace end portion in the bracket to hold the brace therein, means pivotally supporting the lower end of the locking member on a horizontal axis in a plane substantially parallel to said outer face to permit the locking member to be swung outward away from the brace so that the brace can be removed from the bracket, and a counterweight below said axis connected with the locking member to normally hold it in brace-locking position, the center of gravity of the counterweight being located between the adjacent leg and a vertical plane containing said horizontal axis, whereby the locking memher will be urged to swing toward said adjacent leg.

2. The combination with a pair of spaced vertical legs, of bracing comprising brackets projecting from the sides of the legs, each bracket having spaced side walls provided with open end slots extending inward toward the leg supporting it and also extending laterally entirely through said walls, a removable brace for connecting the legs together and having end portions mounted in said brackets, said end portions being of greater height than said slots, each end portion being provided with a vertical notch receiving the outer end of one of said side walls to permit said end portion to be inserted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brace into the open end of the slot in that wall and moved inward toward the leg, a pivot pin extending across each bracket below its slots, the ends of the pin being supported by the side walls of the bracket, a locking member mounted on said pin and extending upward across the outer face of a brace end portion to hold the brace in the bracket, and a counterweight connected with the locking member to normally hold it up in brace-locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

